The rest of our tip will be spent in the south, where we have been for the last week.  Its much more tropical here than the north, and for the most part, more calm.

We left the Ashram of Amma, the famous “hugging Mother” guru, three days ago.  While the experience was interesting, I can’t say that I had any sort of enlightening experience.  The best thing we got out of our visit there is that we made a whole bunch of friends that we convinced to leave with us for a few lazy days cruising along Kerala’s waterways on a luxury houseboat (so much for our spiritual connection).

There were seven of us, all nomads in our own way: Em&M; Anna, a Colombian gal who has been living in Barcelona and  is now spending a year backpacking through Asia; Rebecca, a fellow American on her third trip to India, Cathy, a Brit who has been teaching English in Vietnam for the last two years, David, a Spanish guy who’s traveling the world for the next year, and Aurelie, a French party girl her in India to learn to do Aruvedic massages (and meet lots of men).

The backwaters of Allepey are filed with houseboats to suit every need, from floating rust buckets to luxury liners.  We decided on something in between.

Our boat was huge: four bedrooms and bathrooms, eight beds and  four servers to attend to your every whim.  There’s not much to do, but we we easily filled up 24 hours: drifing along as we watch people from the little villages at the waters edge; swimming; and cracking open a few beers and some good conversation.

All this for about $30 US dollars a night, mouthwatering meals  included.  We were in heaven with the Keralan cuisine.  We even stopped in a little village to purchase giant prawns that looked and tasted like juicy lobsters.

Five of us decided to stay an extra day.  With the stress and hussle and bustle of India, it was perfect to be in our own quiet world for a fews days.

We are now in the Fishing Village of Cochin.  We will be heading to the fishmarket tonight to buy some fish and lobster for dinner.  In the morning, Mihae and I will be heading to Udupi to work on a farm for a few days.  Yes, we are going to learn to milk a cow…

Then off to meet up with our friends again in the party town of Goa…stay tuned!